Andrea Riseborough's Oscar Nomination For To Leslie Will Stand

The board of governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences met today to discuss Andrea Riseborough's Best Actress Oscar nomination for the little-seen film "To Leslie" today, and Variety now reports they've determined the nomination will stand. Riseborough will compete alongside Cate Blanchett, Michelle Yeoh, Michelle Williams, and Ana de Armas at the 95th Academy Awards this March.

Riseborough's nomination for her portrayal of an alcoholic mother in Michael Morris' "To Leslie" came as a surprise for many people when it was announced last week, but the actress had been receiving a groundswell of support — including several high-profile celebrity shout-outs on social media — in the weeks leading up the nomination. Still, the use of grassroots outreach in Riseborough's name as opposed to a traditional studio-driven For Your Consideration campaign made "To Leslie" the subject of scrutiny, and the Academy announced on Friday that they'd be investigating whether or not the campaign broke any guidelines.

The answer seems clear: the campaign for "To Leslie" didn't meet the criteria for Riseborough's dismissal from the race, but some aspects of it reportedly still rubbed the Academy powers that be the wrong way. "Based on concerns that surfaced last week around the 'To Leslie' awards campaign, the Academy began a review into the film's campaigning tactics," Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement shared by Variety. He continued:

"The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film's nomination should be rescinded. However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly."

Though specific tactics were not mentioned by name, they were easy to spot: as award season came to a crescendo, celebrities started sharing enthusiastic, similar statements of support for Andrea Riseborough, and an Instagram post from the film's official account named a competing actress, which is apparently a big no-no according to the Academy's campaign guidelines. It's a debate that goes much deeper than the power of a grassroots campaign, though.

On the one hand, the Academy's singling-out of Riseborough exposes how hypocritical its guidelines against aggressive campaigning are, as it's very obvious that studios pour money into campaigns for their stars all the time. On the other, Riseborough's nomination once again exposed the Academy's long history of failing to recognize Black women, as category frontrunners like Viola Davis ("The Woman King") and Danielle Deadwyler ("Till") were pushed out of the running while Riseborough landed a nod.

The Academy's Board of Governors reportedly meets annually after the Oscars to discuss potential changes to their rules and regulations, and it sounds like this could be a year that sees some change. "Given this review, it is apparent that components of the regulations must be clarified to help create a better framework for respectful, inclusive, and unbiased campaigning," Kramer said. "These changes will be made after this awards cycle and will be shared with our membership." While they're closing loopholes, hopefully, the Academy can take a hard look at a system that might benefit some artists while leaving others out in the cold. Kramer promises that the Academy " strives to create an environment where votes are based solely on the artistic and technical merits of the eligible films and achievements."

The Oscars telecast will take place on March 12, 2023.